Focus///Share - learning about an age-old argument about how we light the Hanukkah candles, and what each opinion prioritizes as the special focus of Hanukkah. Is the ever-growing light and love and goodness amidst the darkness the main point, or is it the way that the fire of the Hanukkah candles burns up everything extraneous or bad and can serve to be a single intense point of focus, reminding us of the need for courage and strength in the face of evil??? As with any truly valuable argument - machloket l’shem shamayim - both of these opinions are pointing towards an important and necessary value, even if in practice we highlight the need to bring more light and love and goodness into the world in the way that we add a new candle every night of Hanukkah. So we asked, what might we create that would showcase need for courage and strength alongside our light filled, goodness and love focused Hanukkah menorahs? What might we create that points toward both values, both sides of this important argument at the foundation of our Hanukkah practice?
This wonderful workshop was originally dreamed up by Dori Parker @dori_of_the_ghost and Tamar Zaken for our Make Hanukkah extravaganza last year, but when v.1 had to be postponed, this particular workshop wasn’t able to be rescheduled (although Dori did bring it to her 4th grade students, which was so sweet!). It was so exciting to get to offer it in the Atiq studio, first for a wonderful group of parents and children, and then for a group of adults.
Thank you so much to @pjlibrarybayarea and @aliza_golshani for co-presenting the parents and children program with us, and thank you to all of the folks who joined us to prepare for the light and fire of Hanukkah together!
